


Woman in the Lake

by FroggyFemme



Series: Bones [1]
Category: Bones (TV), The Queen's Gambit (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Multi, Murder Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Since Bones technically starts in the early 2000s, Slow Burn, Unresolved Sexual Tension, so much tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:07:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29166192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FroggyFemme/pseuds/FroggyFemme
Summary: After returning to Washington, D.C., renowned forensic anthropologist Dr. Elizabeth Harmon is called in by FBI Special Agent Benjamin Watts to aid an FBI investigation involving a set of bones found hidden in a lake. Chaos ensues.
Relationships: Beth Harmon & Benny Watts, Beth Harmon/Benny Watts
Series: Bones [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2141097
Comments: 19
Kudos: 61





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I own absolutely nothing! Based directly on episodes of the Fox show Bones.

The airport is as crowded and loud as always. 

It wasn’t like Beth didn’t expect it, she just hoped her first day back would be relaxing for a change. 

The flight from Guatemala was only a little over 4 hours, yet the trip back felt like it took forever, especially with the perky flight attendants constantly asking if she needed something to eat or drink. Though she knew not to order one, the craving for a Gibson was ever-present, humming in the back of her mind. Fortunately, it got easier to refuse after thinking about riding home with an angry Jolene sitting next to her.

Just thinking of Jolene brought a smile to her face. Beth would never understand how she was lucky enough to have a sister like her, someone who saw all of her faults and still loved her, who held her accountable and helped her to be better, who did it all not because she wanted to but because she was family, and that's what family did.

And someone who, as it turns out, flashes airline staff when needed.

“Tell me you tried ‘excuse me’ first.”

Jolene gasps at the sound of her voice, her statement earrings clacking together as she turns.

“There you are, cracker! Yes, I did. Welcome home. Was Guatemala awful? Was it all horrible and backward?”

“I mean, I was never reduced to flashing my boobs for information,” Beth replies with a smirk.

Wiggling her eyebrows, Jolene probes on, “Well, did you flash them for any fun reasons?”

Beth stops for a moment and tries to imagine any ‘fun reasons’.

All that comes to mind are images of a mass grave filled with hundreds of human remains. There were a handful of partial skeletons but, luckily, most were full sets, old enough to have little to no tissue yet recent enough for them to still be wearing the clothes they died in. Using the little bits of identification they could find on the bodies and the available medical records for the rest, she and her team set forth identifying the remains. 

For two months, she was out in the field using her knowledge and expertise to fulfill her true role as a Forensic Anthropologist. Beth had no time for anything else, certainly nothing as trivial as sex, when that many bodies laid there, waiting to be identified. Genocide had taken their life, but it was Beth’s job to give it back to them. 

With a scoff, Beth continues walking.

“I was literally neck-deep in a mass grave. Not romantic.”

Jolene shakes her head and sighs.

“Y’know, diving head-first in a pit of cadavers ain’t the way to handle a messy breakup.”

Then, there's something in the corner of her eye, just out of her sight. She wants to turn and identify it, just out of instinct, but she knows how much Jolene hates when Beth isn’t giving her her full attention, especially after being apart for so long, so she doesn’t. 

“Jolene, nothing Tim and I ever did was messy.” 

“Then you wasn’t doing the right thing!”

There it is again, except it's not an ‘it’, it's a ‘who’, and whoever it is has been following them, pittering a couple of steps behind for how long now? Does he really think she wouldn’t notice? A man in a nice suit walking in a busy airport, how inconspicuous. Jesus, the audacity of these people! It's ridiculous.

So, she's dropping her bag, (Perry Embossed Triple-Compartment Tote Bag Tory Burch. Expensive. Sort of a splurge, sort of an act of retail therapy. It’ll live.) and whipping around to face him.

“Sir, why are you following us?”

A reasonable question, Beth thinks, but then this man, whoever he is, is grabbing her arm. So, no longer being reasonable, she retaliates. Whipping her arm around, she catches him by surprise and lands a hit on his sternum. As she's kicking him square in the chest and pinning down with his arm behind his back, she hears Jolene’s voice shouting, “Attack! Security! Hello! Who runs this damn airport? Kick his ass.” It's not long after that Jolene’s purse is smacking him in the back. 

Suddenly, the security guards are rushing in and pulling their guns, not on the stalker, no, but on Beth.

“Ma'am, step back now!”

“He attacked me.”

The man at her feet decides to finally speak, “I'm Homeland Security!”

With a sigh, she releases the man and raises her hands in surrender.

Jolene is already putting on her lawyer voice, turning on her charm while addressing the security guards. “Oh, well there's been a little misunderstanding here,” She says with a smile. 

And although that alone is comforting, Beth would still prefer to not be on the other side of so many guns if she had a choice. “You can put away your guns.”

“What, is she in charge now?” The Homeland security officer scoffs, “No, I'll tell you when you can lower your weapons. Hand over the bag.”

Really? That's it? Again, ridiculous!

She swiftly picks her bag off of the floor and hands it over. “Is that what this is about?”

But as it seems, he didn’t even know what it was about, because he's opening her bag with wide eyes that only grow wider in fear as he fully comprehends the bag’s contents. Then, with the same incredulous expression, he’s gagging and dropping the bag, sending the human skull rolling across the white tiles of the airport floor. 

When she looks up, everyone (including Jolene) is looking at her.

“Boo.”


	2. Special Agent Watts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I own absolutely nothing!

Beth has to admit, the quiet of the holding room is nice. However, the circumstances leading her here are not quite as pleasant. The Homeland security agent, whose name Beth has already forgotten, seems set on making her day worse and worse by the moment. First by stalking her, now by interrogating her.

“I am Dr. Elizabeth Harmon. I've been in Guatemala for two months, identifying victims of genocide, including him,” she says, pointing to the skull on the table. 

“Most people in this situation, what they do is they sweat it.”

Beth raises her eyebrow at him. “Guatemala? Genocide? How are you scary after that?

“You know who doesn't sweat it?”

Before Beth can reply, the female officer behind him beats her to it. “Sociopaths.” God, seriously? 

“I'm not a sociopath! I'm an anthropologist at the Jeffersonian.”

“Who works for the FBI. Which I'd maybe believe if you had an ID that did more than allowed you access to the cafeteria.”

And there it is again, a flash in the corner of her eye. Except this time, Beth doesn’t even need to turn around to know who it is, and she's getting pretty sick of being snuck-up on. But again, full attention, so she’ll finish this conversation first (Jolene would be proud).

“You are illegally transporting human remains, ma'am. And you assaulted a Homeland Security agent.”

“Look, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you in front of your friends, but next time, you should identify yourself before attacking me.” 

With her previous conversation over, Beth then turns sharply in her seat to face the unwanted intruder.

Lowe and behold, Benny Watts.

“What are you doing here?”

Instead of giving her an answer (because of course not, he’s Benny Watts), he addresses himself to the two officers in the room.  
“FBI. Special Agent Benjamin Watts, Major Crime Investigation, DC. Bones identifies bodies for us.”

Beth can’t help but roll her eyes at the nickname. “Don't call me Bones. And I do more than identify.”

“She also writes books” Benny replies before pulling out a copy of her book and sliding it across the desk. The original officer (the one she restrained) looks down at the picture of Beth on the back cover. “Fine. She's all yours.”

Then, he’s finally letting her go. Of course, as soon as the FBI agent comes in and says the word, everything is fine!

“Great. Let's grab your skull, and let's vamoose.”

And Beth can hardly believe it. “What, that's it? "She's all yours"? Why did you stop me?”

“What does it matter? You're free to go. Let's just grab your bags-- click, click, cling, cling.”

But then, she sees it.

“You set me up. You got a hold-for-questioning request from the FBI, didn't you?”

If the officer’s silence didn’t reveal enough, the shy glance he then sends Beth’s way sure does. He picks up the book with both hands before finally admitting, “ I love this book.”  
With a scoff, Beth takes back her skull and her book and shoves past Benny towards the door.

“Come on, then.”

-

She finds Jolene and tries to explain what happened in the briefest way possible. (it only takes 3 words. Watts’. Massive. Ego.)

And then, before she knows it, she's back in a place she never hoped nor thought she would ever be again, the passenger’s seat of Benny Watt’s shitty blue buggy. 

And there he is, sitting there scratching his mustache like an imbecile. God, just the sight of it pissed her off.

“That's the best you can do?”

“What?”

Beth gives him a look. “Getting Homeland Security to snatch me so you can stage a fake rescue?”

“Well, at least I picked you up at the airport, huh? Come on, I mean, I went through the appropriate channels, but your assistant there, he stone-walled me.”

“Yeah, well after the last case, I told Georgi never, ever to put you through. He's a good assistant. You can let me out anywhere along here.”

“All right, listen, a decomposed corpse was found this morning at Arlington National Cemetery.”

“Arlington National Cemetery is full of decomposed corpses. It's a cemetery.”

“Yeah, but this one is your type of corpse -- it wasn't in a casket.”

“If you drive one more block, I'm screaming "kidnap" out the window.” 

“You know what? I'm trying to mend bridges here.”

She had so many better things to do than sit here listening to this bullshit. “Pull over.”

To her surprise, he actually listens. So, she takes advantage of this rare occasion and walks straight out of the car “I'm going home.” She says over her shoulder. It isn’t until she reaches the sidewalk does she realize, he’s fucking following her. Not just following her, chasing after her. “Great, Beth. Could we... Look, could we just skip this part?”

She keeps walking. “I find you very condescending.”

“Me? I'm condescending? I'm not the one who's got to mention that she's got a doctorate every five minutes.”

“I am the one with a doctorate.”

“Yeah, well you know what? I'm the one with the badge and the gun, huh? You know you're not the only forensic anthropologist in town.”

And Beth has to laugh. “Yes, I am. The next nearest is in Montreal. Parlez-vous francais?”

“What's it gonna take, huh?”

That makes her stop. Is the F.B.I really that desperate? Is he really that desperate? Guess there's only one way to find out. 

She stops and looks back at him, “Full participation in the case.”

“Fine.”

She pushes again, just to be sure,“Not just lab work; everything.”

“What? You want me to spit in my hand? We're Scully and Mulder.”

“I don't know what that means.” She doesn’t, but it doesn't dampen the smug feeling in her chest. (I guess he is.) 

Benny shakes his head dismissively, “It's an olive branch. Just get back in the car.”

To her surprise, she does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if u like this au would u mind sparing some kudos :)?


	3. Squints

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I own nothing! and just wanna mention that this fic has been and will be very dialogue-heavy. I want to add in as much detail I can to cushion it a bit, but I also want to tell the story as effectively as possible so its a bit hard :/ if it ever seems like there's too much dialogue to the point where it makes it hard to read, please let me know! and if anyone has any episodes in specific that they'd like to see these fools act out, let me know as well because while this fic isn't even done yet I have a feeling it will be in the very near future. anyway, enjoy another chapter! who knows, my ADHD might even gift us another one or two today >:)

The rest of the ride was quiet, almost as if Benny was scared she’d try to run off again. Despite the silence, as the Arlington National Cemetery comes into view, Beth can’t stop thinking about her decision. Why did she agree to this? She was sure she’d have tons of remains to identify at the Jeffersonian, older, and much more interesting remains. But, something about the way Benny asked just made her cave. 

God, he's such a menace. Instead of smacking him like she initially wanted to, she decided she needed more information about this case.

“What's the context of the find?”

“Routine landscaping -- they drop the level of the pond, one of the workmen thought he saw something.”

And that's it, at least until they're getting out of the car and she spots a familiar face among the crowd. 

“Hi, Georgi.”

Girev’s eyes scan across her as she approaches. “This eco-warrior look works for you.”

“Thanks.”

“Very action-oriented,” He adds with a small smile.

Beth doesn’t know if Benny even remembers Girev, so out of courtesy she reminds him.

“Agent Watts, you remember my assistant, Georgi Girev?”

“Oh, yeah.” He most definitely did not.

Girev seems to pay no mind, continuing to question her, “How was Guatemala? Dig up lots of massacre victims? Learn a thing or two about machete strikes?”

Unfortunately for him, Beth has bigger priorities at the moment. 

“Georgi, I need water samples and temperature readings from the pond.”

“Right away, Dr.Harmon,” He adds before scurrying off. 

Benny simply scoffs at him as he leaves. “He's got no sense of discretion, that kid. Typical  
squint.”

Squint? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

“I don't know what that means.”

“Well, cops get stuck, we bring in people like you. You know -- squints; you know, who squint at things.”

Beth turns to him with an eyebrow arched. “Oh, you mean people with very high IQ's and basic reasoning skills?” 

When he goes to raise his hands in submission, Beth just tosses him her bag and heads towards the water.

Benny follows her almost as an afterthought.

“Yeah.”

-

They've finally reached the middle of the pond when Benny tells her this is the spot. They stop the boat and Benny starts lowering the camera inch by inch as her eyes track the screen.

“What, exactly, am I supposed to be squinting at?”

“It's like pornography. You'll know it when you see it.”

And she did. Slowly, a skeleton appears on the screen, seemingly wrapped in a net. Beth leans in closer to the screen to get a better view.

With a sigh, she resigns. “Yeah, okay. This is a crime scene.”

-

After the body has been pulled out of the water, Beth and Girev get to work finding any visual markers to help identify the body. He's to her left taking pictures as she's observing the remains as close as her naked eyes can.

“Georgi, look, the remains are wrapped in four-mil poly construction sheeting.”

“PVC-coated chicken wire.:

“Weighted. That's why the body didn't surface during decomposition.” She points out. “The skeleton is complete but the skull is in fragments.”

Just then, Benny saunters back into her space. “What can you tell me?”

“Not much. She's a young woman, probably between 18 and 22, approximately five foot three, race unknown, delicate features.”

“That's all?”

“Tennis player," She adds with a shrug. 

“How do you get a pretty tennis player out of that yuck?”

Girev butts into the conversation, “Epiphysis fusion gives age. Pelvic bone shape gives sex.”

Sending him a wary look, she continues, “Bursitis in the shoulder. Somebody this young, it must be an athletic injury.”

“When did she die?” Benny asks, running a hand through his unkempt hair. 

And that was weirdly distracting. Decidedly ignoring whatever that was, Beth turns to consider the remains again. 

“Eh…”

“‘Eh’? What does that even mean?”

“Means wait until our bug and slime guy takes a look,” Girev replies for her. 

She spends a few more moments examining the scene. “No clothing.”

“You know, in my line of work, no clothes usually means a sex crime.”

Beth huffs out a breath. “Well, In my line of work, it can also mean the victim favored natural fibers.”

“Your suit, for example,” Girev adds, looking at Benny, “will outlast your bones by decades.”

“Girev, Collect silt, three meters radius to a depth of ten centimeters.” A “Yes, Dr. Harmon.” follows.

Once again she turns to face Benny. “Your FBI forensics team can take the plastic and the chicken wire; we'll take the rest.”

-

Finally back at the Jeffersonian, Beth seeks out the only man who could’ve gotten her into this mess. She finally finds him on the second floor, walking across one of the grand museum balconies. 

He's walking fast, as usual, leaving Beth to half-jog to catch up to him.

“Dr. Shaibel, I wish you wouldn't just give me to the FBI.”

He directs his glance towards her as a sign of acknowledgment. “As a federally funded institution, the Jeffersonian must seize every opportunity to prove our worth to our friends in Congress, which means I loan you out as I see fit, especially to federal agencies.”

“‘Loan out’ implies property, Dr. Shaibel, and the FBI will never respect mere property.”

“I do not view you as property, Dr. Harmon. You are one of the Jeffersonian's most valuable assets.”

“An asset is, by definition, property,” Girev chimes in from the back.

Dr. Shaibel turns to him with a sigh. “What's the rule, Mr. Girev?”

Girev practically deflated at his words. “You only converse with PhD's. You realize I'm halfway through two doctorates? Two halves make a whole, so mathematically speaking…”

“Go polish a bone, Mr. Girev.”

“Yes, Dr. Shaibel.”

Once she was sure Girev was out of range, she continues her argument.

“Dr. Shaibel, FBI agents will never respect any of us as long as you simply dole out scientists like office temps!”

Dr. Shaibel pauses and turns to look Beth in the eyes.

“Dr. Harmon, are you playing me?”

“You know I'm no good at that.”

“Mmm. Thus far. But you have a disturbingly steep learning curve,” He admits to her before he simply walks away.


	4. Squinting at Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> something i wanted to clarify now before I forget is that this fic will only be including scenes from Brennan/Beth's perspective, so any scenes without her physically present are left out (for clarity and times sake). I might post a companion to this fic where its just Booth/Benny's perspective, but we'll see as time goes on!

Its not long until Beth finds herself surrounded by her fellow scientists once again. Though she’ll never admit it, she missed her team while she was away. 

Dr. Lewis and Dr. Lewis, Mike and Matt, were immature but kind, and undeniably funny. 

Mr. Girev, Georgi, is a bit odd but very bright and an exceptionally good assistant. 

Ms. Dupont, Cleo's, ability to combine her artistic and technological capabilities made her infinitely useful. (Plus, it was nice to have another woman around the lab despite how much she loved the boys.)

Instead of expressing these feelings, because she's still Beth, of course, she sets her mind to work.

“Dr. Lewis, either one, have you gathered any important information I should know about?”

Mike speaks first, explaining, “The pond is not only warm and teeming with microbes, which accelerated decomposition, but it houses black carp and koi, which fed on the body.”

Cleo pales at the thought. “Can I, as the only normal person in this room, say, 'Ew'?”

Eager to get his word in, Matt pays her no mind. “I got three larval stages of Tricoptera, Chironimidae…”

“As we cut to the chase…” She says as she sends all three of them an unamused look.

“The body was in the pond one winter and two summers.” 

“Spring before last?”

Out of nowhere, Mike faces beth and asks, “You really think I'm lusty?”

Her confusion must show as Cleo goes on to explain, “The book.”

“No, no, no, you're not in the book.”

The book was about completely fictional characters, why would he think it was meant to be him?

“Sure he is; we all are,” Girev adds.

Beth sighs in frustration.

“No, none of you are in the book. Those are fictitious characters based on-” “I found some small bone fragments in the silt,” Matt interrupts.

Cleo fixes her with a sympathetic look. “We're out of the book now. We're back in real life.”

“I'd guess Rana temporaria,” Matt continues.

“Frog bones?"

“Also some tiny gold links, as from a fine chain.”

As Beth is finally able to focus in on this find, Girev pipes up once again. “Point of clarification -- I'm not a virgin. Nowhere near in fact.”

Knowing that this conversation isn’t ending anytime soon, Beth stands there resigned. Regardless, Cleo turns to her, “Who you captured perfectly is Watts. Scrawny and scrappy, with buckets of sexual confidence which, oh, I, for one, would love to tap.”

“It's not right to discuss tapping asses in front of a soaker,” Girev adds, as if any of this is appropriate, as if what he said just was any better.

“I can't bounce back and forth between my book and real life. Since we're stuck with real life, let's just forget the book.”

“I haven't analyzed whatever it was the victim was holding in her hand, but it looks like cellulose.”

“Paper?” Cleo suggests.

“Hmmm, possibly.”

Satisfied that they were getting back on track, Beth shares her findings. “I found microscopic grit embedded in the skull fragments. I need you two to identify those. Girev, Remove the remaining tissue. I'll debride the skull fragments myself, reassemble it so Cleo can put a face on our victim.”  
Cleo nods as she walks away. “Good. I prefer holographs. They don't stink.”

As the rest of the team clears out, Beth feels the need to make herself clear. “Georgi, I don't like those terms for human remains -- ‘soaker’, ‘crispy critter’”

“I know, I'm sorry, Dr. Harmon.”

-

Beth stays by late that night, wanting to get as much information off of these remains as possible. She searched from every angle, combed through every inch, yet she still couldn't find something good, something useful. 

She doesn’t remember nodding off, but it's clear she did as Girev is shaking her awake and she's prying herself off of her desk. 

As she walks home nursing her coffee, Beth’s mind is still on this case. 

If asked, Beth would always say she was good at separating work and home life, but that was simply not true at all. In fact, Beth never felt more at home than when she was at work, surrounded by bones. Maybe it wasn’t exactly normal, but Beth always felt that she related to dead people more than the living. Underneath we’re all the same, with no hidden thoughts or double meanings. Just bones. And bones are simple. 

(at least to her.)

-

Beth wakes to the sound of her front door opening. Immediately, she grabs for the closest weapon, which just so happened to be a metal baseball bat. (why did she even own this?)

Carefully, she creeps around the corner, when suddenly there's someone pushing back her beaded curtains. On instinct, she swings and feels glass and plastic crack underneath the bat, as opposed to the flesh and bone she was expecting. 

She peers around to find her ex-boyfriend lying helpless on the floor, cradling the shattered remains of his television. 

“Tim?"

-

“It's not rational for you to choose the first day I'm back to reclaim your television,” She says, placing the cup of water in his hands.

“While you were away, I thought about why we broke up.”

“We fought all the time and don't like each other anymore.”

“We fought because you were emotionally distant and cold. But sexually speaking, I think you'll agree…”

Okay, she guesses she should have seen this coming.

With a scoff, Beth pulls Tim to his feet and takes back the glass of water. Pushing him towards the door, she states the obvious. “You didn't come for your TV. You timed this for a booty call. Okay, you're leaving.”

“Come on. Your intimacy issues are probably due to being orphaned so young.”

With a groan, Beth starts pushing him harder. “I hate psychology. And you're just horny.”

“Beth, do you really want to spend the rest of your life alone?”

With that, she sends him a furious look, “Okay, I don't know about the rest of my life, but I sure as hell wish I was alone right now,” And with a final shove, she banishes him out of her apartment.

“So what? We split the cost of the TV?”

“Good-bye,” She slams the door with a groan.

The blaring tone of her phone breaks her out of her trance.

“What?” She answers.

-

When Beth walks in, Benny is already there, looking at Cleo’s program with shining eyes. The rest of her team is there as well. 

“Good morning. Does Benny know how this works?”

Cleo laughs coyly. “Well if he did I’d be surprised. This computer program, which I designed - patent-pending - accepts a full array of digital input, processes it, and then projects it as a three-dimensional holographic image.”

“You get that?”

“Yeah, the patent-pending part.”

Still giggling, Cleo continues on, “Beth reassembled the skull and applied tissue markers.”

“Her skull was badly damaged, but racial indicators - cheekbone dimensions, nasal arch, occipital measurements - suggest African-American.”

“And... we have our victim,” Cleo says, gesturing at the image in front of her.

Benny practically sighs in awe. 

“Woah...”

He then sticks his hand through the image's head, distorting it. “I have to admit, that's pretty cool.”

With a tug on his arm, Beth pulls Benny back to the real world, sending him a curious look. 

“Cleo, rerun the program substituting Caucasian values... Does she look familiar to anyone?”

Benny shakes his head. “No.”

“Split the difference; mixed race.”

"Lenny Kravitz or Vanessa Williams?”

Beth furrows her brows a bit at that. “I don't know what that means.”

Cleo just shrugs at her and changes the values. The clearer the depiction gets, the more Benny straightens up where he's standing. 

“Cleo, reduce tissue depth over the cheekbones to the jawline."

Benny’s gaze lingers on the actual skull for a few moments before he starts looking at Cleo's projected image. “Does anyone recognize her?”

Matt and Mike both shake their heads.

“Not me.”

In the end, it's Cleo, “Wait. Is that who I think it is?”

Then Girev gets it, “The girl who had the affair with the Senator?”

“Her name's Louise Eller... only daughter to Ted and Sharon Eller. Last seen approximately 9:00 p.m., April 6, 2019, leaving Cardio Deluxe Jam on K Street. She didn't even make it to her car.”

“Pretty good memory.”

Benny sighs. “Yeah, well, it's my job to find her.”

“Well, in that case, congratulations on your success,” Mike chimes in sarcastically.

“This isn't exactly the way I wanted it to end.” Benny replies, still staring at the projection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in regards to this chapter, with so many characters constantly interrupting each other and speaking at random, I hope the conversations are easy to track and don't get to repetitive :/  
> also, Matt and Mike's last name is based on their actors while I just chose a popular french last name for cleo if anyone was curious!


	5. Louise Eller 1/2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I don't own this obviously, and I want to apologize for the long ass break. I thought I had scheduled this chapter to come out last Monday and the next one to come out today, but I clearly don't understand how ao3 works -_- 
> 
> From now on, I'm going to be posting a new chapter every Monday and this time I'm actually going to check to see if it posted and not just trust it like a dummy again :P
> 
> Alright, with that being said I hope you enjoy this chapter!!

Benny doesn’t touch on it until lunch break, strangely enough. He doesn’t say much at all until they all head out to the gardens, until he finally can’t hold it in any longer.

“Louise Eller is not just some missing girl.”

Matt jokingly replies, “Yeah, she's a senate intern who was boinking Senator Allan Bethlehem.”

Benny isn't amused, “I was secondary in the investigation into the disappearance of that girl, and we couldn't confirm that.” 

“How did you recognize her before she even had her own face?” He asks, turning to Beth.

“I recognize the underlying architecture of her features, the rest is just window dressing.”

It’s then that Girev asks what they've all been thinking, “I'm not an expert, but shouldn't he be happier?”

“Oh, no, believe me, I'm happy.”

Cleo smiles mockingly. “You seem happy to me.”

“I need this kept quiet.”

Mike calls after him, “Cover-up!” 

Benny yells back, “Paranoid conspiracy theorist!” They walk away from the rest, Beth following Benny’s seemingly angry strides. 

Matt quips, “Is it paranoia that Monica Lewinsky was a KGB-trained sex-agent mole?”

Benny just sighs and keeps walking. Beth doesn’t understand why he's being like this. Obviously, it's upsetting to find out someone is dead, but at least now they can get her closure. Isn’t that also important?

“So what do you do first, confront the Senator?”

“Listen, Bones, I know-”

“Don't call me Bones.”

Benny picks up his pace, “I know we talked about you coming out in the field and all…”

“Oh, you rat bastard!” Beth says, trying to catch up.

“But if it's this big the Director's going to create a special investigation unit. And if I line all my ducks up in a row, I can maybe head it up.”

“I don't know what that means, but I think I can be a duck,” Beth persists. Why is he doing this now? After everything? But Benny just laughs at her softly.  
“You're not a duck. Okay? On this one, we stick to the book. Cops on the streets, squints in the lab.”

Fine. Be that way. “Well, in that case, the Jeffersonian will be issuing a press release identifying the girl in the pond.”

And he finally stops.

“You do that, I'm a dead duck. What are you trying to do?"

“Blackmail you.”

“Blackmail a federal agent...”

“Yes.”

Benny frowns at her confusedly, ”I don't like it.”

“I'm fairly certain you're not supposed to.”

“Fine, you're in.”

-

The FBI building is surprisingly nice, with well-decorated lobbies and hallways as well as decently comfortable chairs. This office, however, is another story. Benny’s boss, some FBI superior whose name Beth didn’t care to ask, leaves his office bare. With such a boring personality, Beth would assume he’d at least try to compensate, but apparently not.

“You're certain it's Louise Eller?”

“The profile's dead-on: age, race, height.”

“Plus,” Benny chimes in, “the timeline fits. I mean, Louise Eller did play tennis in college.”

The man, (Cullen, Beth notes as she takes another glance at his name placard), relents. “Talk to me about the Senator.”

“Well,” Benny starts, “Louise Eller, the victim, worked for Senator Bethlehem.”

“It was reported that they were involved sexually.”

“We couldn't confirm that,” Benny moves to glare at her before turning back to Cullen. 

“Well, Bethlehem's a hound. Everybody knows that.”

“Ken Thompson, Louise's boyfriend.”

“Thompson's still Bethlehem's aide. Thompson keeps Bethlehem's calendar. No way the Senator has an affair that Thompson doesn't know about. No sexual relationship, no motive. What about the, uh, nut case?”

“Oliver Laurier.”

“Do you like him for this?”

“He's a stalker.”

“What's your first move?”

“I'd like to inform the Ellers that we found their daughter.”

“It's better to keep this quiet. It's been, what, two years? What's another few days?” Cullen scoffs.

“All due respect, sir, I've come to know the family pretty well, especially the Major, and two years is a hell of a long time in limbo.”

Beth can practically see Benny’s calm composure cracking. “I'll have details of cause of death by this afternoon,” She adds, sending Cullen a coy smile. “That's where we'll get started."

Cullen sits back in his chair with a sigh. “All right.”

-

  
Beth can hardly believe Benny has managed to get her into his car once again. They had stopped by the lab before heading to the Eller family’s house, so Beth swung by her office to check for anything new. She finds she prefers this, reading through the reports of Dr. Lewis’s findings instead of having irritating small talk with Benny. His presence can be grating, especially when he's being difficult like today. (Like always.)

“Matt identified the particulates embedded in Louise Eller's skull as rolled steel -- most likely from a sledge-type hammer. Also there's cement and diatomaceous earth.”

“What's that?

Beth pulls the small bottle filled with white powder out from her purse, “Looks like that,” and hands it to Benny. “It's made up of prehistoric sea creatures. It's used as an insecticide, filtering agent, cleaning abrasive, ceramics. It's very common.”

He rolls it between his fingers as he squints suspiciously at the substance before passing it back to her.

“Diatomaceous earth - common or not, it's a clue.”

-

The inside of the Eller Household is nice, if not a bit stuffy. The muted teal walls are decorated with paintings ranging from many different artists and styles, accented with golden frames and golden trimmings. As she continues into the office space, a room with tall oak walls of the office space complemented by the deep red and beige pattern of the carpet, she notes the massive bookshelf lining the wall. She settles on the couch next to Benny while Mr. and Mrs. Eller sit on the couch directly across from them. 

The father is the first to speak up. ‘You're positive it's our Louise?”

“We established 22 matching points of comparison-”

“Yes, we're certain,” Benny cuts in with a glare.

“Did he do it? The Senator? One military man to another?”

“Major Eller, we can't discuss the investigation in any way.”

Mrs. Eller chimes in then. “Can you at least tell us if our daughter suffered?” She looks at Beth with teary eyes. “Given the state of her skull-”

Benny interrupts her once again, “Louise never saw it coming.” Now it's Beth’s turn to send him a glare, but when she turns her head she finds him still facing Mrs. Eller, looking her in the eyes with a mournful expression on his face. 

“Thank you,” Mrs. Eller replies.

Beth knows she isn't the best with emotions, but she knows that in the case of a murder, the most important thing is finding the truth. So why should Benny get to lie to this family now? She decides to file this argument away for later before she gets too worked up, and looks back up at the victim’s parents. “Mrs. Eller, could you tell us what Louise wore around her neck?”

She looks back at Beth as well. “Her father's Bronze Star.”

“Ted won it in the first Gulf War, and he gave it to her for luck,” She adds, turning to cry into Major Eller's shoulder.

-

As she and Benny exit the Eller Household, Beth decides that ‘later’ is now.

“Those people deserve the truth.”

“Their daughter was murdered. They deserve the kindness of a lie.”

“There will be an inquest report.”

“Which they won't read because they don't want to. Especially because toward the end, Louise and her parents weren't even speaking.”

“They told you that?”

“You know, getting information out of live people is a lot different than getting information out of a pile of bones. You have to offer up something of yourself first.”

Beth rolls her eyes at that. “What exactly did you do in the military?”

“See? See what you did right there, Bones? You asked a personal question without offering anything personal in return. And since I'm not a skeleton, you get zilch. Sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feel free to leave a kudos if you enjoyed, and feel free to message me on tumblr or twitter if you wanna talk about this fic! my @'s are psychicfemme and finalgirlongirl respectively :D!


	6. Louise Eller 2/2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own anything! and i don't have much to say other than I hope you all enjoy a somewhat less dialogue-heavy chapter :)

Back in her element once again, Beth takes a moment to settle into her mindset. Meanwhile, to her right, Girev is waiting with a sharp mind. The sharpness doesn't reach his eyes, however, with the white light of the examination table illuminating the wonder he often tries to hide. 

Age has never been an important factor to Beth. If you are qualified then it shouldn’t matter. However, it seemed to be for most people, with nearly everyone on her team (including Benny) frequently making jokes and comments towards Girev’s youth. It irritated her at times, every comment towards her assistant acting as a reminder of when she was the young girl no one spared a second glance to, who was spoken over and looked down upon despite her accomplishments. But at this moment, Beth can’t help but realize his age. The young man beside her is 3 years her junior, but so talented and intelligent, for a second Beth lets the warm feeling of pride grow in her chest. 

However, this is work, and with Louise Eller’s remains laid out in front of her, Beth is finding it a bit difficult to dilly-dally any longer. So, she meets Girev’s gaze and nods towards the table and he straightens and prepares to aim his camera in response. 

As she examines the remains, Beth immediately points out some abnormalities worth noting.

“There are stab marks here.” (Click.)

“And odd markings on the distal phalanges,” (Click.) “Nothing I've seen before.”

Neither of Dr. Lewis’s presence manages to draw her attention away from the bones as they both stride in. “In a nutshell? Anxious, depressed, and nauseous.” Matt says from behind her.

Beth turns briefly to look over her shoulder at him with an arched eyebrow, “Take a sick day.”

He laughs awkwardly, “Not me, Louise Eller.” 

Mike then hands her a file. “Pupal casings show she was on Lorazepam, Chlordiazepoxide, and Meclizine Hydrochloride.”

“Nausea. Show me those bone fragments,” she requests, flipping through the file.

Girev scrambles to put them beneath the microscope as Beth sits and adjusts the lens in order to get the image clear. As the view of the bone fragments comes into focus, Beth feels her brow furrow at the sight. After scanning them she quickly realizes something that those two must have missed. “These aren't frog bones. Louise Eller was pregnant.”

“Fetal remains?” Girev asks, his confusion apparent in his voice.

“Malleus, incus, stapes. These are fetal ear bones.”

Mike turns to his brother with a sigh. “The girl was pregnant.”

“Not very far along.”

“You want me to try and get a DNA reading, see if we can prove paternity?”

“You can try. Let's hope there's enough genetic material to test.”

As Girev takes the fetal bones and scurries off, the twins turn to face her, exchanging mischievous glances between themselves.

“This Senator, oh, he is smart. He gets an intern pregnant, then murders her when it threatens his career. And he has the connections to get away with it.”

“I hate it when you make paranoia plausible. It's like sliding off a cliff,” she replies with a laugh. 

“This special unit, no way your FBI pal heads it up, unless the dark powers in charge are convinced he knows where his political bread is buttered.” Mike says, promptly retrieving the file from her. “Either way, that's where this investigation ends.” Matt adds, one foot out of the door.

-

Later, when it's just Beth In the imaging room, she pulls up the 3-D image of Louise Eller. As the projection rotates Beth can feel her eyes follow on instinct. Yet, no matter how hard she tries, she can’t quite seem to focus on the image. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she can hear Benny’s voice, repeating his statement from earlier over and over. Beth isn’t sure she's comfortable letting him take up so much space in her mind, but she can’t shake the implications of his words. Just because she doesn't go around oversharing to every person she meets doesn't mean she can't connect with people... right? She shakes her head to clear her thoughts and with a sigh, starts to get ready to leave for the day. When she's finished, she heads down to the lobby to wait for Jolene. They had agreed a while ago that every Friday they would meet up and spend time together, and excluding the time lost to her trip, they’ve been going strong. 

It isn’t until she hears her heavy steps does she realize she's been lost in thought yet again. She stands up to see Jolene approaching her with a concerned look on her face. 

“Hey, Cracker, what's up with you? And don’t say nothing because you know I don't accept that as an answer.”

And as much as she wants to say it's nothing just to spite her, Beth finds she actually wants to talk to Jolene about it. So for once, she does.

“What if Benny's right? What if I'm only good with bones and lousy with people?"

“Plenty of people like you.”

Beth rolls her eyes, ”I don't care if men like me.”

Jolene chuckles and keeps walking. “Okay, interesting leap from ‘people’ to ‘men’, but I'm sure it means nothing.”

Bumping their shoulders together, Beth follows suit. “I hate psychology. My most meaningful relationships are with dead people.”

“Who said that?”

“It's true! I understand Louise and her bones are all I've ever seen. When she was seven, she broke her wrist, probably falling off a bike, and two weeks later, before the cast was even removed, she got right back on that bike and broke it all over again.”

Beth doesn’t cry, she just doesn’t. It's embarrassing and it never makes her feel any better, so she takes a moment to try to clear the lump in her throat.

“And when she was being murdered, she fought back - hard - even though... she was so depressed she could hardly get up in the morning. She didn't welcome death. Louise wanted to live.”

Jolene sighs and lays a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Honey, you ever think that maybe you come off a little distant because you connect too much?”

“I hate psychology. It's a soft science,” she replies with a small sniffle.

“I know, but... people are mostly soft.”

Beth nods. “Except for their bones.”

Jolene nods back. “Yeah. You want some advice?”

“Fuck ‘em if they can’t take a joke?”

“No. Well yes, but no. Offer up a little bit of yourself every once in a while. Just... tell somebody something you're not completely certain you want them to know.”

Beth can’t help but scoff at the feeling of deja-vu. “That's the second time I've received that advice.”

“Well, you know I give great advice.”

-

Senator Bethlehem isn’t too hard to find, fortunately for Beth. Neither was his assistant, Thompson, as he follows his boss like a lost puppy. Getting either of them to speak with her, however, is a different story.

“I'm a little confused as to why the Director of the FBI would send you to speak to the Senator instead of coming himself.”

“Probably because I'm the one that found that Louise Eller was pregnant.”

“You could tell the girl was pregnant from her skeleton?” Senator Bethlehem cuts in.

“We found fetal bones. The only question, Senator, is which one of you is the father. Are you willing to submit to a DNA test?”

Thompson then turns to the Senator. “You know what? Given the sensitivity, don't say anything on the subject without your attorney present, that's my advice.”

“Advice I intend to take,” the senator replies with a smile. “Ken, we have a vote to get to.” 

Before he leaves, he walks over to a trash can to spit out his gum. She knows this might be the only chance to collect his DNA, so, Beth follows the senator and leans down to pull the gum out for collection.

“Uh, what are you doing?” Thompson asks, chuckling, with an incredulous look on his face.

“Saliva, say from chewing gum, is an excellent source of DNA. I intend to compare it to the DNA in the fetal bones.”

“You need a warrant for that? Ken. She needs a warrant.”

With that, Thompson walks over and grabs Beth’s wrist. She then flips him onto the ground. Jesus, when will people learn to stop doing that?

As she's walking out she calls back, “If we have any further questions, we'll be in touch.”

-

Cullen’s office is just as boring and ugly as Beth remembers.

“I could place you under arrest on a federal charge right now for uttering threats against a United States Senator.”

“What?

Benny gives her a look, “Bones.”

“I own her, but she was your responsibility.”

“Yes, sir.”

Cullen presses down the intercom button, “Send in Special Agent Furst.” He then turns his attention back to Benny. “I warned you about taking squints out to the field, but you vouched for her, said she wouldn't screw up.”

“Yes, sir.”

“No, no! Benny didn't know that I was going to see the Senator. I wanted to get a sample of his DNA.”

“Exactly.”

Benny gives her another look. “Not helping.”

Behind her, Beth hears the door open and when she turns to look she sees a man with graying hair walk in.

“Tomorrow morning, I'm announcing the formation of a special unit to investigate the murder of Louise Eller, at which time your investigation will be officially terminated. You will not head the new unit.”

“Congratulations, Patrick,” Benny says to the man without turning to look.

The man at the door, (Patrick, she assumes) replies, “No hard feelings.”

“Right.”

“I need the complete case files in the morning.”

“Of course, they'll be ready.”

“Thank you, Agent Furst,” Cullen says as Patrick exits.

As she and Benny stand to leave as well, she hears him mutters something underneath his breath. “Well, at least Dr. Harmon found out that Senator Bethlehem was having sex with Louise.”

Beth raises her eyebrow at him, “I did?”

If Cullen notices her uncertainty, he doesn’t show it. “Report said there wasn't enough DNA in the fetal bones to determine paternity.”

“Senator Bethlehem didn't want Dr. Harmon to take that gum. He's hiding something.”

“He didn't know there wasn't enough DNA,” Beth agrees.

“I suggest that you, uh, go back to your lab, Dr. Harmon, and get used to being there.”

-

Benny turns to her as soon as the door is closed. “You okay?” 

“Don't be nice to me after I got you in trouble.”

“Your heart was in the right place.”

“No, I'm not a heart person. You're a heart person. I'm a brain person. You vouched for me.”

“Forget it,” Benny says with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“No, I won't.” She replies, forcing him to meet her gaze. “You think it was the Senator?”

“Look, the Senator's had sex with a dozen of these interns and he hasn't killed any of them. Our best bet is still the stalker.”

“You want to check him out? We can, um, what do call it, roost him?”

“Roust.”

“Roust. Well, the murderer snatched the Bronze Star from Louise's neck, so…”

Benny smirks and pushes back his hair. (Christ, get it together, Beth.)

“Well, I got 12 hours before this case is over and I'm off it, so let's go roust him. Come on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any errors, I've been having trouble proofreading recently, but it shouldn't be too bad! if you did enjoy feel free to leave a kudos or even comment if you please ;D


	7. Rude Awakenings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I don't own anything, but I did have extreme brainrot last week from school so this chapter is definitely overdue, but not to worry! I'm going to update again on Friday so the final chapter will still go up as planned.
> 
> Bit of a shorter one especially compared to the last chapter, but I mean this is the equivalent of like 7 minutes of the show so who can blame me? Anyways, I hope you all enjoy :)

Facing the grey apartment door, Beth raises her fist and knocks. It's only a moment before it creaks open, and a round, pale face peeks through.

“Mr. Laurier we have a warrant to search your apart- “

Then it's only another moment before the suspect, Oliver Laurier, is slamming the door in her face and planning his escape. Luckily for her, Benny was smart enough to see this coming. As Laurier turns on his feet, there he is, in all his glory, blocking the back exit from his view. 

“Don't run, Oliver.”

Of course, he doesn’t listen, and as Benny twists his arm back and pins him to the wall, Beth takes the liberty to let herself in. 

-

“Agent Watts here is under the impression that you might have something pertinent to a case he's working on.”

“The warrant here says you're looking for a Bronze Star? Like the one Louise wore?”

She narrows her eyes at him, “Exactly like that one, Mr. Laurier.”

“I don't have it,” He says, passing her back the warrant with a shaky hand.

“Sometimes stalkers retain keepsakes.”

Benny then speaks up from where he’s scoping out the room. “What the hell are these things, huh?”

“Miniature Lives of the Saints. Okay? I hand them out-”

“Heads up, Bones,” Benny interrupts, barely offering a warning before tossing a small booklet in her direction. She sends Benny a look before flipping through the pages as he continues to ruffle around, more concerned with intimidation than questioning his suspect. 

“I hand them out for donations, Okay? I'm not a panhandler. Help yourself. I never stalked Louise.”

“Then why'd she get a restraining order?”

“Okay, okay, no. First of all, no. Ken Thompson, her supposed boyfriend, got the restraining order, with his boss, the Senator, but Ken is only concerned with his job and his tropical fish. They colluded to ruin my reputation with this specious ‘stalker’ label, when, in actuality... I was Louise's close friend.”

“Then why'd you run from the warrant?”

“My fight-or-flight response is heavily weighted towards flight," He turns to where Benny is crouched over a box, examining it suspiciously, "If there's anything I can do to help you catch Louise's killer, just tell me.”

Benny straightens up and turns to Oliver with a shrug, “Oh, a full confession -- that would be great.” 

“I love Louise. Why would I hurt her?” He shrugs back.

“If you don't mind, I'm gonna keep one of these little books,” She states more than asks, already pocketing it.

Oliver looks back at her with an odd expression and nods, “Whatever you need... Dr. Harmon.”

-

“This is a rough composite, but you get the idea,” Cleo clarifies as they begin to work through the simulation.

“Skull trauma was not the cause of death. Louise was stabbed first. She was stabbed five to eight times with a military issue K-Bar knife.”

“I just completed this rendering. The defensive wounds to the bones in her hands suggest that it wasn't until the third or the fourth penetration…”

“That's likely the fatal stab, right there.” 

“... that Louise stopped fighting back.”

“I believe that the distinctive damage to her distal phalanges -- the tips of her finger bones -- was caused by the murderer using the knife to remove her finger pads.” She continues as Cleo reconfigures, “Cranial fragmentation suggests a 20-pound hammer striking four to five times while the victim's head rested on a cement floor containing traces of diatomaceous earth. That's the best explanation for the particulates found in her skull. This was not a crime of passion.”

“Louise never saw the first stab coming. It didn't arise out of an argument. Why smash her face? Why whittle away her fingertips, remove her clothing and her jewelry?”

“Sink her body…” Girev adds. “The murderer put more effort into hiding the victim's identity than he did into the murder itself.”

The twins share a look between themselves before nodding in agreement. “In case Louise was identified, the murderer planted evidence. The little book Dr. Harmon got from the stalker matches the cellulose found in Louise's hand.”

“Military cemetery, military knife, implicates her own father, more misdirection.”

Matt replies to Cleo with a mischievous glance, “Sound like any conniving son-of-a-bitch senators you know?”

Benny doesn’t seem as convinced as the rest of them, however. He turns to her with a scowl, “You expect me to declare war on a United States Senator based on your little holographic crystal ball?"

She feels her own eyebrows pull together in response, “It's not magic. It's a logical recreation of events based on evidence.”

“It's no more valid than my gut.”

Girev huffs impatiently, “A good hypothesis withstands testing. That's what makes it a good hypothesis.”

“This is not a hypothesis -- you have a dead girl and a United States Senator. Christ, this is exactly why squints belong in the lab. You guys don't know anything about the real world,” Benny rants, pinching the bridge of his nose. Beth can only glare at him as she turns back to her team.

“Come on. We're done here.”

-

Beth doesn't consider herself a violent person by any means. Sure, she can defend herself when needed but she is just being rational, and if anybody thinks differently then that's their own problem. However, one cocky, cowboy wannabe of an FBI agent, in particular, has been making thinking rationally very difficult. While she doesn’t necessarily want to shoot him, she's not exactly trying to rid the target of the cowboy hat her imagination has placed on it. 

And just like the devil, she thinks of him and he appears, strutting in like it's the damn frontier.

“Though I'd find you here,” he starts with a smirk, “You know, you being a good shot and doing martial arts, it's all your way of dealing. I mean, who knows better than you how fragile life can be?”

At the sound of his voice, she peels the earmuffs off, being careful not to mess her hair up too much in the process. “Maybe an Army Ranger sniper who became an FBI homicide investigator,” She replies, just as smug. 

“Oh, you looked me up, huh?”

“Mhmm.”

“Do you mind?” He asks, already stepping into her space. She places the gun in his outreached palm and steps aside. “Be my guest.”

“Thank you.”

He steadies himself and fires one shot, missing the target’s heart by at least a few inches. When he lowers the gun to check, he simply groans then laughs humorlessly at himself. Beth barely manages to suppress her own laugh as she regards the scene.

“Were you any good at being a sniper?”

He angles toward her, mindful of the limited space, before replying. “A sniper gets to know a little something about killers. Senator Bethlehem, he's no killer.”

Beth arches an eyebrow at that. “Oh, and Oliver Laurier is?”

“Way I read Laurier, he's unhinged. That makes him dangerous.”

Beth just nods slowly, mockingly. “That'd be your ‘gut’ telling you that, correct?”

It's then he fully turns his attention to her, leaning into her as she rests against the wall. He's close enough that she can hear him inhale as he goes to reply. 

“You know, homicides? They're not solved by scientists. They're solved by guys like me asking a thousand questions a thousand times, catching people telling lies every time. You're great at what you do, Bones, but you don't solve murders... Cops do,” He adds, clearly pleased with himself. 

In this moment, all she wants to do is to make him crack, to wipe that pompous grin off of his face. And like everything involving Benny, Beth finds she just can’t help herself. So, ignoring the pounding of her heart, she pushes it further, lifting her head from the wall and closing the gap between them until they’re standing nose to nose. 

“Louise Eller was killed on a cement floor sprinkled with diatomaceous earth. Traces of her blood will still be in that cement. One of us is wrong, maybe both of us, but if Bethlehem wasn't a senator, you'd be right there in his basement looking for that killing floor. You're afraid of him. Your hypothesis is that squints don't solve murders and cops do, Right?” She asks with a smile.

“Prove it,” She leans in even further, breath against his lips as she speaks, “Be a cop.” 

She stands her ground for a moment, lingering in his space, as he continues holding her stare. It could be seconds or minutes before she's suddenly leaning back, turning to leave him without so much as a second glance. He watches her go but doesn't attempt to speak to her, seemingly resigned. As she's making her way out, however, she hears two shots ring out from behind her, and she can't help but look back. She turns to see two shots successfully fired at the target's skull and Benny, somehow managing to look even more pleased than before. 

With a shake of her head, she keeps on walking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave kudos or even comment if you'd like! 
> 
> Tune in this Friday for the next episode of: will these idiots fuck or solve the case first? maybe both? maybe neither? you'll just have to wait and see ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not a full-time fic writer but I just had to write for this AU I mean it works so well! I hope any of my grammar or spelling mistakes weren't too unbearable :)


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